Second Chance
by emmasnow
Summary: College AU - Emma has tried for so long to make her relationship with Neal work, through many tough times and betrayals - but when a handsome stranger wiggles his way into her life, everything changes. Will college give Emma a second chance at happiness? Please leave a review if you like it, or with any thoughts :) **based on a true story
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My name is Emma Swan. I am going to tell you a story that I have never told another person, except for in bits and pieces. No one else knows the details of this story. So here goes…

When I was a sophomore in high school, I found out that a boy named Neal Cassidy had a crush on my best friend, Ruby. Ruby sort of liked him back, so I told her to give me his cell phone number so I could find out more from him. It turned out that he'd had a huge crush on me since the beginning of freshman year. I wasn't too interested, but I'd never had a boyfriend, and Ruby didn't mind (she had a crush on plenty of other guys), so I decided to give him a shot. We started dating the June after sophomore year.

Things went pretty well. We went to homecoming together that fall, and even were crowned prince and princess at junior prom.

Fast forward to March of senior year. I found out that a very important awards ceremony I was invited to happened to be the same night as senior prom. I told Neal, and he said I should skip the awards ceremony and go to prom with him. I said no, and tried to explain what a big deal the ceremony was. He threatened to take another girl, Tamara, to the prom. A freshman, no less. I compromised and told him I would come late to prom after the ceremony. He was still unhappy, but seemed to be appeased for the time being.

Neal was in the school musical, as was the girl he threatened to take to prom, so they became close friends. He was constantly texting her, but every time I asked, he refused to show me the texts. Neal was acting very distant as well, so I was always suspicious. I could always see through his lies, but I never had enough proof to confront him on it. I could see his feelings for Tamara. He even texted her during class.

Then one day, at the end of April, Tamara's best friend came up to me, and told me that Neal hadn't exactly been faithful to me. I told her that I suspected something, but asked her what happened. All she knew was that Neal and Tamara had kissed once. I confronted Neal about it, he denied everything. A few days later, Tamara came up to me during my study hall. She showed me screenshots of text conversations between her and Neal. Finally, I had enough proof. I asked her to send them to me, so she did. Maybe she finally felt enough guilt that she wanted to help me. Maybe she was just trying to get me to break up with Neal so that she could be with him. I don't know. Anyway, I showed the pictures to Neal, and he finally admitted the whole thing. I found out most of the details (at least I think I did), but couldn't talk to him for the rest of the day after that. Later that evening, I texted him, and our conversation went something like this:

E: I can't believe you.

N: I'm so sorry, it didn't mean anything

E: How can you say that? You told her you loved her!

N: I didn't mean it

E: Then why would you say it? You never say anything you don't mean

N: I don't know

E: I can't believe this Neal. I can't be with you anymore. I should just leave

N: No! Please don't leave me :'(

E: Why shouldn't I? You cheated on me

N: Because we've been together almost two years. I don't want to lose that.

E: Maybe you should've thought of that before you cheated.

N: I know. I was stupid. But I want to be with you Emma

E: You need to tell her it's over then

N: I already did

E: I want to see you do it

N: Fine

E: Good

The next day, I tried to act as if nothing had happened. I was my normal, smiley self, but inside the betrayal was eating away at me. "Don't forget to tell Tamara it's over," I told Neal.

"I already did. I don't want to break her heart," he said.

I couldn't believe my ears. "Her heart? What about my heart? You broke my heart pretty good."

"I know; I just don't think the extra confrontation is necessary. I already told you I'm choosing you, and I told her it's over. Isn't that enough?"

I decided that it wasn't worth the fight, and that fighting wouldn't help our relationship improve like we wanted it to, so I just let that one go. The rest of the school year went by mostly normally, though there was only a month and a half left for the seniors. I never told anyone about what had happened, and neither did Neal. He said it would be easier to repair the relationship if other people weren't judging us. For some reason, I believed him. I also didn't want other people to know, because I thought they would think that I had been a bad girlfriend and had pushed Neal away. That's what he implied, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

That summer did not go well. Tamara started texting Neal again. She wanted him back. Neal, of course, was flattered by the affection and loved every second of two girls fighting over him. This time, though, he showed me the texts so I could see how much Tamara loved him and how desperate she was. The summer continued in this way. I constantly accused Neal of cheating on me, and he denied it each time.

"Maybe we should just break up then," he said one day. "You're never going to trust me again. This isn't going to change and you're just going to keep accusing me!"

"You can't blame me for not trusting you. You cheated on me. It will take me a while for me to trust you again, but that day will come. It doesn't help that you still text the girl you cheated on me with."

"I'm not going to stop being friends with her because of that. That's all it is; we're just friends," he said.

"Not to her!" I yelled. She's still in love with you, and she'll do anything to get me out of the way. Including making me look like the bad guy because I'm trying to end your friendship."

"Well maybe we should break up if that's what you want!"

I yelled again. "That's exactly what _she_ wants! You just want to break up because then you can be with her, and you can say the breakup was my fault." There was no way I could let this happen. I had tried too long and too hard to fix things between us. Plus, I had invested two years of my life in this. I didn't think I would ever be able to let anyone get as close to me as Neal had. This couldn't be the end.

So it wasn't. Each time Neal tried to break up with me, I reasoned with him and convinced him not to. As the end of the summer approached, I got closer and closer to leaving for college. Neal was staying home and commuting to a state school, but I would be dorming an hour away. As college move-in day drew nearer, I worried that Neal would get bored of me while I was gone, and move on with some other girl.

It seemed that Neal had similar worries. "You're going to find someone at school who is better than me and fall in love with him," he said. "We should just break up now and get that over with so it will be less painful."

"Neal, you're being ridiculous," I said. "Quit pushing me away. I'll be fine. Are you sure you don't just want to get with Tamara again?"

"When are you going to stop asking about her and start trusting me?"

"Maybe when you stop trying to break up with me! We took a "break" over summer for like three days so you could "figure things out" but all you did was go over to her house and cheat again!"

"We were on a break; it wasn't cheating!"

"Just drop it," I said. "I'll be fine, as long as you promise that you will be too.

"I promise," he said.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I was a wreck on move-in day. Making friends has never been easy for me, because I'm super shy and don't like to let people in. Also, I hate change, and moving away from home to be on my own was quite a big change. Since we were new students, we went through orientation, and there were a bunch of activities planned for us. I met my orientation group. They all seemed nice, but were more outgoing and popular than I am, so I couldn't really see myself being friends with any of them. Our orientation leaders told us that we were missing one girl, Regina, and that she would be there the following day. I wondered how someone could possibly be late to college orientation. For the rest of the day we got acquainted with our groups, and played way too many icebreaker games.

The next day we went to some camp an hour away for a bunch of "bonding" activities. Regina still wasn't there. She must have moved in just after the bus left for camp. I participated only when I had to. Most of the day I texted Neal and my parents, because I was super homesick.

The following day was Monday, and it was scavenger hunt day. Each group had to go around campus and find certain landmarks, take pictures of them, and send them in to the judges. It was to help us get to know our way around campus. Regina joined our group that day. We hit it off instantaneously. It turned out that we were from the same general area, and we lived about 20 minutes away from each other. She was in the same dorm building as me, one floor down. We talked throughout the whole scavenger hunt and let the rest of the group do the work while we followed.

For the rest of the week I hung around with Regina. We ate all our meals together and went to activities together. Thursday of that week was major day, and we separated into all our different majors. I met a girl in my major named Mary Margaret. She and I discovered that we had four classes together, so we would be seeing a lot of each other. We also figured out that she was in the same dorm that Regina and I were, and that she was from the same area that we were. Mary Margaret and I also became quick friends. I introduced Regina and Mary Margaret to each other sometime the first week of classes.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

First semester went by well. I went home just about every other weekend to visit with my family and with Neal, and because I was super homesick still. Regina, Mary Margaret, and I got lunch together every day, and I always went to dinner with Regina. Mary Margaret had made friends with two guys, David and Graham, during orientation week, so she ate dinner with them.

A few weeks into school Mary Margaret came to me panicking and told me that David had kissed her the night before. She liked him but didn't know if she could handle a relationship, since she was so busy with schoolwork and classes. Since I had a boyfriend, she asked how I handled it with school. I told her it was easier since I was away at school but that it had never been too difficult in the first place. It's almost like having another friend. I thought she should go for it with David.

Things were rough between them to begin with. Mary Margaret was nervous about being in a relationship, so she broke up with David one or twice in September or October. Eventually, she got more comfortable with the idea and they got more comfortable with each other. After that they were practically inseparable.

Finally, it was time to go home for winter break. I was so glad to go back to my own bedroom and my own house, but it was weird moving all my stuff back home and leaving my friends. On our last night together, we all hung out in my room and played M.A.S.H. and made fortune tellers. We promised we would see each other over break, and planned a sleepover at my house.

Neal and I celebrated our two-and-a-half-year anniversary that Christmas Eve, and he took me out to dinner a few weeks later. It finally felt like things were going right for us again. Tamara had found a boyfriend and was no longer interested in Neal (he tried to get her back a few months prior, but she turned him down because he had waited too long and lost his chance). Anyway, he no longer seemed to be interested in her, and was focused on school and making me happy. That fact alone made me happy, though I still did not trust him. I didn't know what went on at school, or who he talked to on social media. He was still very protective of his phone for some reason. At that point, I tried not to care, and kept trying to fix our relationship.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Spring semester was a different story. Regina found out that Mary Margaret's friend Graham had a crush on her. Graham kept bugging Mary Margaret, asking her for advice and if Regina liked him back (she didn't). I helped Mary Margaret plan with Graham to ask Regina on a date, and acted as double agent, because I warned Regina. It was better this way, because he could be let down easy and would get the hint that she wasn't interested. Then he could stop bothering Mary Margaret about it. When he did finally ask Regina to go ice skating with him, it was kind of funny to watch him stutter and panic out of nervousness. She politely said no, and blamed it on her fear of ice skating. They did, however, become very good friends after that, and got lunch together on campus every week or so.

I had my own struggles that semester as well. Two weeks into the semester, I received an email from an unknown address, a school email address. Regina and I were sitting in a dorm meeting, just so we could get service hours. I looked at my phone and read the email:

Hi,

My name is Killian Jones. I am in your English Literature class. I sit in the front row; I am the kid in the black leather shoes at the end of the row. I didn't want to do this; I realize that this is quite possibly the creepiest way to talk to someone for the first time. I am pretty sure that this is going to the right person, since there are like 3 girls in our class. You also sit in the front row and have a red leather jacket. Anyway on the walk back to dorms today I was going to say something to you. I think that you're pretty, and I was too nervous to say anything because I thought that you might have a boyfriend. I would really like to get to know you if you don't. My number is (555)-867-0609 if you would like to text me. And I hope that we can put this means of first contact behind us. I am really not that shy; I just didn't want to sound stupid and didn't know how to start a conversation. Thank you.

I handed the phone to Regina to see what she thought of it. She agreed with me that it was kinda creepy. I had never seen this guy in my class, or even heard of him. The only way he could've found out my name is by looking at the class list online, but even then, he would've had multiple girls to choose from. I'm not on Facebook, so he couldn't have looked me up there. I decided to ignore the email. I took a screenshot of it and sent the picture to Mary Margaret to see her take on the whole thing.

That night at dinner, Regina and I sat in our usual spot. At some point during dinner, two guys passed our table on their way out, and one of them made eye contact with me. I looked at his shoes and they were black leather. "I think that was Killian," I told Regina. "I still haven't answered his email. What should I do?"

"You should tell him I'm your girlfriend," she said. "Then he won't be interested because he can't be."

"I'm not going to lie! I don't have to. I'll tell him I have a boyfriend, but I don't know how to without hurting his feelings."

"Who cares? The email was super creepy. Just tell him you have a boyfriend then."

Later that night, I still hadn't answered the email. Regina and I were hanging out in my room when I got another, so we read it together:

Hi,

I felt the need to send this after seeing you at dinner. I want to talk to you and I don't know what I should do now. I know you don't know me but please trust me. You don't have to reply if you don't want but I would really appreciate it. You can either reply to this email or text me. I would appreciate it, thanks.

(555)-867-0609

Again, I took a screenshot and sent it to Mary Margaret. She agreed with Regina that it was creepy, and she told me to tell him to back off because he had crossed a line or something. I ended up emailing back this:

Killian,

While I appreciate the compliment, I currently have a boyfriend of two and a half years. I am sorry if this hurts your feelings. I would appreciate that if you want to contact me further, please do it in person,

Sincerely,

Emma

I thought it sounded a little mean and pushy, but Mary Margaret told me I was being too nice. He didn't answer the email.

The next time I saw Killian was in class. He was two seats down from me. For a few classes, he would make conversation with me and the girl in between us, but nothing more. I wondered if he still liked me or if he really didn't care that I had turned him down.

A few weeks later we had our first exam in the class. The teacher moved me to the back of the room so that no two students would be sitting directly next to each other. Killian finished the exam before I did, and on his way out we made eye contact and smiled at each other.

I decided when I got back to my room that I would text him. I figured it would be a good thing to make another friend, since I only had two. My heart was pounding and I couldn't breathe as I sent him, "What did you think of the test?"

A bit of time passed, and I got a reply that said, "Who is this?" We ended up talking about the test and our professor for a while. We got our tests back the next class. The following class we walked back to dorms together. I found out that he lived only an hour and a half away from me. After that, we became pretty good friends. We texted a lot and always walked back from class together. One Friday I got a text from Killian asking if I wanted to go to an improv show with him. Neal was visiting me that day, so I had to say no. Then it got a little awkward.

K: You have a boyfriend right?

E: Yeah, why?

K: Yeah

K: Sorry, it's just that every time I meet a girl who actually has a nice personality that is the story

E: I'm sorry :( it's the truth though. Do you not believe me?

K: Oh, no I believe you. I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that this always happens.

E: I'm sorry :(

K: Don't get me wrong though. I'd like to be good friends. I need a friend who doesn't live on my floor in dorms.

E: Ok :)

After that happened I decided to tell Neal about Killian. He said he was excited for me that someone liked me because I had mentioned once that no one did. Neal told me I should be friends with him and ask him to dinner. When I said no, he threatened to not talk to me. Eventually I agreed. I texted Killian, and we planned on getting dinner together on campus that night.

I was very nervous for dinner. I'm not good at talking to people, and I had never been with Killian longer than the 15-minute walk back from class. I was pleasantly surprised by how things went. We stayed for over two hours just talking about everything and nothing at the same time, and it was strange how much we had in common.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

About a week later I was home for the weekend on a Friday night, and I received a text from Killian:

Hey, I need to know something. I really enjoy your company and being with you, you are an awesome person to be with. I think you know that I think you are very pretty and the more time I spend with you I seem to develop more feelings for you. But I need to know your intentions, I know you have a boyfriend and I need to respect that, but I can't help but wonder why you would bother to spend time with me. Sorry for asking you this.

I forwarded the message to Mary Margaret and Regina in our group chat. Neither of them answered, so I had to come up with a response on my own. I said:

"I really enjoy spending time with you too, and I love that we've become such great friends. But that's really all I'm looking for is friendship since I have a boyfriend."

I decided to show Neal the next day, because I thought he deserved to know how strong Killian's feelings were. I told him I didn't know where these feelings were coming from. "I don't know why he likes me so much," I said.

"Me neither," Neal answered. I gave him a look. "I mean, . . . I didn't mean it like that," he stuttered. "I just meant that I don't know what he sees . . . wait, no! I don't know. Maybe you should just date him; maybe he'll be better for you."

"Now you're just trying to get rid of me. Don't be ridiculous," I said.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Regina and I marched in the St. Patrick's Day parade two weeks after my dinner with Killian. She and Mary Margaret had told me I was leading Killian on, and warned me to stop before it was too late. I decided that day that I would make it clear that we were just friends. I didn't know how to do that exactly, so to me it seemed like I was being really cold and mean towards him. I texted him all throughout the parade, but I wasn't as friendly as I normally was. After the parade and after Regina and I had eaten dinner, I was alone in my room. I felt bad for leading Killian on, and I felt bad for being so rude to him that day, so I decided to apologize.

E: I'm sorry for being so cold towards you today.

K: That's okay. I was just worried because I thought something was wrong.

E: No, I just feel like I've been leading you on, and I don't want to because it's not fair to you.

K: Yeah

E: Sorry

K: And I fell, hook, line, and sinker

E: :(

K: I love you :/

E: I'm sorry

K: And I'm so sorry for that

We didn't talk at all the following day, Sunday. On Monday I got a text from Killian saying that he still wanted to be friends and that he was sorry for making anything awkward. I happily accepted and also apologized.

Things were going very well between Killian and me, but it seemed that we were only friends through text message and for the limited amount of time that we were in class together. Over spring break I went home and he stayed at school, but we still texted a ton. Mary Margaret, Regina, and I had a sleepover at Regina's house over break, and I talked with Killian the entire time (I wasn't rude to my friends; I still paid attention to what we were doing). After the other two had fallen asleep, I continued to talk to Killian, and the conversation was starting to get personal. I asked him how many girlfriends he'd had, and he said one, but it was the superficial type you have in high school that's just for show. We talked about what we looked for in a relationship, and it seemed that the things we each wanted were very similar. I eventually asked him if he'd ever told another girl that he loved her, and he said he'd only ever said it to one person. I was astounded that I was the first person he ever loved, so I asked him why he loved me. I quickly realized that was a bad idea, and said he didn't have to tell me. That was the night I realized I loved him back.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Before break ended, I invited Killian to go to dinner with me once I got back to school. We ended up eating in my room and talking for hours. Over the next month Killian and I grew closer and closer, and my feelings for him grew stronger. I began to stress over who I should be with, Neal or Killian. Neal and I had been through so much together, and had overcome so many hardships. But with Killian everything was just so natural and effortless. I couldn't bear to even think of making such a big decision. I knew that I would have to lose one of them eventually, but I didn't want the burden of having to choose. I loved both of them very much, and in two very different ways, so it was hard for me to see which choice was the better one.

In mid-April Killian told me that talking to me and texting me so often was starting to bother him, too, because he couldn't bear to think about me so often if there was nothing between us. I told him that I understood, and that the whole thing was my fault, so I wouldn't blame him if he wanted to stop being friends. He said he just needed a few days to think things over. After three days of not talking to Killian, I already missed him more than I thought I could miss someone in three days.

I decided to tell Neal about my confusion and mixed feelings. I had tried so hard to hide my feelings for Killian from both of them, but it had begun to make me crazy and very emotional. Neal suggested that I give Killian a change, at least for a day. I told him that it was a very bad idea, but he was so persistent and told me to text Killian, "My boyfriend and I mutually broke up. I want to give you a chance," so I eventually did. Later that night, Killian came to my room so that we could talk things through in person, but talking did not come as easily as it had so many times before. After what seemed like about half an hour of awkward silence (and me trying to break the tension by mocking our awkwardness), we finally started talking normally. We never ended up talking about anything to do with the whole relationship situation though.

The next day Neal texted me and said that he couldn't stop thinking about what was happening between Killian and me, and that he thought I would realize he was the better choice by the end of the night and come back to him. Somehow, his plea worked so I said I would be with him. I had to tell Killian that I thought we were better as friends. It crushed him, and killed me to see him so hurt. We still didn't want to lose each other as friends though, so we acted as if nothing happened for a while.

I told Regina and Mary Margaret this whole thing after it happened. They both told me that I needed to make up my mind already to stop hurting both Killian and Neal, and more importantly, myself. Regina came over to my room that night unexpectedly, and brought ice cream and two spoons. "I haven't been as supportive as I should be about this whole thing," she said. "I've told you that I don't like Killian and that you should stop leading him on, but I never really considered how this whole thing was affecting you."

"Why don't you like Killian?" I asked.

"Well I didn't like how he emailed you instead of saying something to you in person. Mary Margaret and I both thought that was strange. And some of the things he said to you seemed desperate. He told you he loved you after talking to you for less than a month. It just seemed like he wouldn't be very good for you because he doesn't seem stable himself."

"Oh," I said. "Well I don't think he's unstable."

"I know. Maybe it would be a better idea if you didn't choose either of them. Just be single for a while and give yourself time to think things through."

"I thought about that," I said, "but I'm afraid that I won't be able to make a decision in time. What if I take too long and they both get tired of waiting and move on? And what if I make the wrong decision?"

"If they really do love you they'll be willing to wait. Maybe that will help your decision, too. If one of them gives up on you when you say you need time to think, then you'll know he's not the one."

"You're right. I need more time to think. Thanks."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I went home for Mother's Day weekend, so I decided to ask my mom for advice on my situation. On Saturday night, I still hadn't told her. I was texting Killian and he said he couldn't take it anymore, and that he didn't think we should continue to talk and be friends if it was going to be like this. I cried myself to sleep. The next morning I woke up to a text from Killian that said:

K: I think I've made a huge mistake. I can't lose you. I woke up this morning with an empty feeling inside, and I haven't since I met you. You are the light of my life, and I need you in my life even if it's just as friends.

I told Killian that I felt the same way and that I felt awful when I thought about losing him.

I was extremely nervous to tell my mom, but she could tell that something was wrong so when she asked I said, "Mom, there's this guy at school who likes me, and I kinda like him back. I don't know what I should do."

Without hesitation, she said, "Well if you like him then you should give him a chance. You'll never know if you don't and you won't forgive yourself. If you and Neal are meant to be then you will be again someday, but for now I think you two need a break."

"Ok. Thanks, Mom."

"So what's this guy's name? What does he look like? How did you two meet?"

"His name is Killian, and he's in my English Literature class." I told her about the email and showed her a few pictures of the two of us. The way I talked about him to her made me realize how much I loved him, so I took her advice and decided to give him a chance. I also remembered something that Mary Margaret had told me:

"Whenever you talk about Neal you say what a long history you've had and talk about your past together. But when you talk about Killian you say that you would have a great future together, and I think you should be focusing on the future."

On Monday I ended things with Neal. It was still very difficult for me, so Regina and Mary Margaret came over to comfort me while I cried. Later that night I had Killian over to watch a movie with me. I planned on telling him that I was choosing him by kissing him as soon as he walked into my room. At the last minute, I got too nervous and panicked, so I didn't. Once we were sitting on the bed and the movie was playing, I worked up the nerve to kiss him on the cheek. He kissed my cheek back, so I went for it and kissed him. I must have caught him off guard, because he didn't kiss back right away. The rest of the night was a blur, but I remember that he kept telling me how beautiful I was and that he never wanted to let me go.

On Tuesday Killian and I walked back from class together, like usual. He held my hand and kissed me when we got back, which was very sweet. A few hours later Neal called me on FaceTime, trying to win me back. He said he wanted to talk to Killian, so they found each other on Facebook and started messaging one another. Neal asked Killian why he loved me. They seemed to be arguing over who loved me more. Throughout this whole deal, I was FaceTiming with Neal and texting Killian. Maybe if I had been with Killian and texting Neal things would have turned out differently, but eventually I decided to choose Neal. I guess he was more persistent or had a better argument.

The very next day, though, I passed Killian on my way back from class. He was with friends, but he looked miserable. I knew then that I didn't ever want to be the cause of that. I wanted to be the one who made him happy. A couple days later I was home, and I finally ended things with Neal. For good this time. When I got back to school I told Killian about it, but that I wasn't ready for a relationship yet. He agreed that it was a good decision.

By that time, it was already finals week, so I invited Killian over to study for English Literature together. We studied for an hour or so and then watched a movie while cuddling on my bed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I moved back home the night of our exam. After the exam, Killian and I walked back together and I asked him to come to my room so we didn't have to leave each other just yet. He did and stayed for about an hour. We kissed goodbye when he left and said we would stay in touch.

A few weeks after I moved back, my dad asked me who I had been texting so much (I hadn't ever mentioned Killian to him). I told him about Killian and he asked if that was the reason why I had been smiling so much lately, despite my breakup with Neal. We had a long conversation about how Neal and I were never really "into" each other or interested in each other's interests, and how I needed to do what made me happy.

The following day I texted Killian.

E: I have an important question to ask you

K: Yeah. Go for it

K: You can ask it now if you want

E: Can I be your girlfriend?

K: Are you sure you're ready?

E: Yes

K: Then yes :)

K: But only if I can be your boyfriend

E: Yes of course

K: I love you Emma

E: I love you, and I want to be with you. I want to take the leap of faith, as long as you're there to catch me

K: I love you too. And I am standing here to catch you with everything I can

E: I love you so much

K: So much :*

Since Killian lives an hour and a half away, I only saw him once during the summer. He picked me up in the middle of July and we went to an amusement park near my house. We stayed all day, and it was hard to say goodbye, since we wouldn't see each other again until the end of August.

The beginning of the school year was difficult for both of us. We had so much schoolwork that it was hard for us to see each other more than once a week. Killian felt so bad about it that he suggested we break up.

"Killian, we worked too hard for too long to come this far in our relationship for us to just give up now," I said. "I can handle it if we only see each other once a week."

"Well we can try to see each other more often," he said, through tears. "You can come to my room and do homework if you'd like."

"I would love to! And can you promise me one thing?"

"Yeah?"

"I like that we always text each other good morning and good night. Promise not to stop?"

"Of course, love. I promise."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

In late November Mary Margaret and I got a text from Regina that said, "You guys were right. Graham and I are dating." They had stayed friends since he asked her out back in the spring, and had recently started watching a show together on Netflix. Regina was at his apartment and he put his arm around her while they watched the show on his couch. Later when she left, he walked her back to our dorm room (Mary Margaret, Regina, and I were in a triple together), and they held hands. They only saw each other once or twice a week, for breakfast on Sundays and sometimes to watch their show. Nearly a month later, Graham still hadn't kissed her. Graham, David, and Killian came to our room to watch a movie and play games, and all the couples cuddled on our respective beds (though Graham and Regina were still a bit uncomfortable with each other). Regina walked Graham out when he left, and he _finally_ kissed her (because she asked him if he was ever going to).

Regina was never truly happy in the relationship, though. She was busy with tons of homework, so they still didn't see each other often. When they tried to do homework together, Graham would get distracted and talk the whole time, which drove Regina up the wall. They never moved past the peck kissing and holding hands, either. To top it off, Regina wasn't all that interested in a relationship. She's very focused on her classes and work, and I give her credit for that.

Despite these problems, Regina stuck it out with Graham from November until summer. Eventually I told her she needed to stop feeling bad about potentially hurting Graham and just end it. I could tell that the relationship was hurting her because she had no interest, and I knew Graham would eventually be hurt anyway since it wasn't going anywhere. It took a lot of convincing, but Regina did break up with Graham.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

We are now in our third year of college. Regina, Mary Margaret, Killian, and I moved out of dorms and into an apartment complex just off campus. Mary Margaret and I live together, Killian moved next door, and Regina is just around the corner. David and Graham live in apartments on the other side of campus. Mary Margaret and David are of course still dating, and he's in our apartment all the time. They're still friends with Graham, but Mary Margaret doesn't see him as often as David does. Regina now has two guinea pigs, whom she loves very much. They're a perfect fit, because they love her back and don't talk while she's doing her homework.

Killian lived next door first semester, but he is doing an internship for all of second semester. Luckily, he's only an hour and a half away from school, so he can visit as often as he wants. The friends he lived with first semester are all doing internships this semester, in fact, so four more of his friends moved into his apartment (they were doing internships last semester).

Things couldn't be better. I have the best boyfriend and the best friends a girl could ever ask for. I am so lucky that college has given me a second chance.


End file.
